If we are to reduce the effects of today’s inequality on tomorrow’s society, then research on inequality among young people is essential.
This report from Sarah Bruch of the University of Iowa finds that, despite increased attention to the topic of inequality, the funding landscape for research on youth inequality in the U.S. is still relatively small.
In Investing in Knowledge: Insights on the Funding Landscape for Research on Inequality Among Young People in the United States, Bruch maps the current funding environment for research on understanding and addressing social and economic inequality among young people in the U.S. The insights that make up the report emerged from interviews with social science researchers and staff from foundations and government agencies, and an examination of materials from 300 funding organizations that have either an explicitly expressed interest in inequality and young people or youth-serving systems, or a reputation for funding inequality research that affects young people as a population or in institutions.
Bruch highlights the complexity of inequality by highlighting its different distinctions and definitions, and outlines the dominant approaches of funding organizations who support research on youth inequality in the U.S. Finally, drawing on an understanding of the current landscape, Bruch offers three strategies for advancing efforts to understand and address youth inequality.
